Australian operator TPG Telecom now has a fully virtualized its network core in partnership with Ericsson and next they’re deploying a new 5G SA one.

Ericsson reckons this makes TPG the first Aussie operator to go full virtual (does that mean it’s an MVNO?), which means it has all its 4G and 3G customers on the platform. Partly because it’s so happy with its work and partly because there’s so little alternative, TPG has signed up Ericsson to do the honours for its standalone 5G core, the work on which is expected to be complete by the end of this year.

“The virtualisation of our core network has enabled us to fast-track our 5G rollout without disrupting 4G services,” said TPG Telecom Executive General Manager Mobile and Fixed Networks Barry Kezik. “By introducing our new 5G Core network, we are ensuring that we can significantly expand our 5G coverage whilst introducing new and innovative 5G industry applications that are tailored to enterprises.”

In semi-related news, Ericsson has announced the launch of Intelligent Deployment, a suit of tools and services designed to help operators with network rollout and upgrade. As the name implies there’s lots of emphasis on AI and generally doing this sort of thing in a smarter way. This means addressing the needs of a cell site according to its specific circumstances and the particular needs of the network at a given time.

“With our Intelligent Deployment solution, we are vastly improving the way we deploy networks, making it more agile, flexible and responsive to customer needs,” said Nello Califano, Head of Strategy and Portfolio Management, Ericsson Business Area Networks. “This means we can deliver parts of our portfolio to service providers based on their specific requirements.

“We use extensive data insights to offer new services as well as pre-empt problems when introducing intelligent monitoring of the network even after end of deployment. By investing more in our network services, we create better solutions for our customers.”

Perhaps having learned from its difficult experiences in the area of managed services, Ericsson has also introduced a fair bit of flexibility into how all this AI goodness is procured, which can be outcome-based or subscription-based. It’s not surprising to hear that Vodafone UK is already onboard with this new offering.